Stop Building Your Coaching Business Backwards

I was sitting in my corner office, staring at my laptop screen at 11 PM on a Tuesday, when it hit me like a freight train: I was building my entire life backwards.

Here I was, pulling down six figures in corporate marketing, checking all the boxes society told me mattered, and I felt... hollow. Empty. Like I was slowly dying inside while everyone around me applauded my "success."

Sound familiar?

That's when I stumbled across Joe Bennett's story - the Hypertrophy Coach - and everything clicked. This dude went from being what he calls a "young meathead" to building a thriving fitness empire, and he did it by doing the exact opposite of what most business gurus preach.

The Backwards Business Building Epidemic

Let me guess what you've been told about starting a coaching business:

• "Find a profitable niche first"
• "Follow the market demand"
• "Passion doesn't pay the bills"
• "You can learn to love anything if it makes money"

Bullshit.

I mean, respectfully... but bullshit.

This is exactly the backwards thinking that keeps people miserable and businesses soulless. And here's the kicker - it doesn't even work long-term. You know why? Because when you're not genuinely passionate about what you're doing, it shows. Your content feels forced. Your sales conversations feel slimy. Your clients can sense you're just going through the motions.

Meanwhile, people like Joe Bennett are out here building million-dollar businesses by going ALL IN on what they genuinely love. In his case? Helping people build muscle and transform their physiques.

The Passion-First Framework That Actually Works

After studying hundreds of successful coaches and living through my own transition, I've identified what I call the Passion-First Framework. It's not about being a starving artist - it's about building sustainable wealth doing what you actually love.

Step 1: Get Brutally Honest About Your Zone of Genius

Joe didn't try to be a general fitness coach. He didn't chase every trend or try to appeal to everyone. He went deep on hypertrophy - muscle building. That's his thing. That's what gets him excited to wake up every morning.

What gets YOU excited? And I don't mean "what looks good on Instagram" or "what my parents would approve of." I mean what topic could you talk about for hours without getting bored? What problems do you naturally gravitate toward solving?

For me, it was helping people navigate major life transitions without losing their minds or their bank accounts. Oddly specific? Yes. Profitable? Absolutely.

Step 2: Learn by Doing (Not by Consuming)

Here's where most aspiring coaches get trapped - they think they need to read 47 more books, get 12 more certifications, and take another course before they're "ready" to start coaching.

Joe's approach? Jump in and start helping people. Learn by doing. Make mistakes. Adjust. Repeat.

I started coaching people through career transitions before I had any formal training. I just had experience, passion, and a genuine desire to help. The expertise came from working with real people facing real problems, not from theoretical knowledge.

Step 3: Commit to Continuous Evolution

This is where Joe really shines. The dude is constantly learning, constantly improving. He doesn't rest on his laurels or think he's figured it all out.

But here's the difference between his approach and the "shiny object syndrome" most coaches suffer from: he goes deep, not wide. He's not jumping from hypertrophy to nutrition to life coaching to business consulting. He's becoming THE expert in his chosen field.

Step 4: Build an Audience of Buyers, Not Just Followers

This one's crucial, and Joe nails it. Most coaches are building vanity metrics - follower counts, likes, comments from people who will never buy anything.

Joe focuses on attracting serious lifters who actually want to pay for expert guidance. His content speaks directly to people with skin in the game.

How do you do this? Stop trying to entertain everyone and start educating your ideal clients. Share insights that only someone who's serious about transformation would appreciate. Get specific. Get technical. Get real.

"But Marcus, What If My Passion Isn't Profitable?"

I hear this objection all the time, and it usually comes from one of two places:

1. You haven't gotten specific enough about WHO you serve
2. You're underestimating people's willingness to pay for transformation

Think about Joe's niche. "Muscle building" sounds pretty narrow, right? But there are millions of people who want to build muscle, and a significant percentage of them are willing to pay good money for expert guidance.

The same is probably true for your passion. You just need to find the intersection between what you love, what you're good at, and what people will pay for.

The Reality Check Nobody Talks About

Here's something the motivational Instagram posts won't tell you: building a passion-based business is still WORK. It's still challenging. You'll still have days where you question everything.

The difference? When you're building something you genuinely care about, you have the fuel to push through the hard times. When you're just chasing money, you burn out fast.

I remember my first year after leaving corporate. I was making about 60% of my corporate salary, working longer hours, and dealing with more uncertainty than ever before. But I woke up excited every day. I couldn't wait to help my clients. I felt alive again.

Compare that to my last year in corporate, where I was making great money but felt like I was slowly suffocating.

Your Turn: The Passion-First Action Plan

Alright, enough philosophy. Let's get practical. Here's how you start building your passion-first coaching business:

Week 1: Get Clear on Your Zone

• Write down 10 topics you could talk about for hours
• Identify which of these you have experience or expertise in
• Pick ONE to focus on (you can always expand later)

Week 2: Find Your People

• Join online communities where your ideal clients hang out
• Start conversations (not sales pitches)
• Listen to their problems and frustrations

Week 3: Create Your First Piece of Value

• Write an article, record a video, or create a simple guide
• Share it with your new communities
• Pay attention to what resonates

Week 4: Make Your First Offer

• Offer to help 3-5 people for free (or very cheap)
• Over-deliver like crazy
• Document everything you learn

Rinse and repeat. Adjust as you go. Get better with each iteration.

The Bottom Line

Joe Bennett's success isn't an accident. It's not luck. It's what happens when you combine genuine passion with strategic business thinking and relentless execution.

You don't have to choose between doing what you love and making good money. But you do have to be willing to go deeper instead of wider. You have to be willing to serve a specific group of people really, really well.

And yeah, you have to be willing to put in the work.

The question is: what's the alternative? Another decade in a job that pays the bills but kills your soul? Building a business around something you don't really care about and hoping motivation strikes?

I've tried that. It doesn't work.

What's the ONE thing you could start coaching people on today? Drop a comment and let me know. I read every single one, and I might just feature your story in a future post.

And if you're ready to fast-track your coaching business without selling your soul, check out my free guide: "The Passion-to-Profit Blueprint." It's everything I wish I'd known when I started this journey.

Now stop making excuses and start building something you actually give a damn about.